The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Magnolia plant botanically known as Magnolia soulangeana and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Cleopatra’.
The new cultivar is the product of a breeding program conducted by the inventor in a cultivated area of Waitara, New Zealand. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new Magnolia cultivars that have unusual flower colors.
‘Cleopatra’ is a hybrid that originated from the female or seed parent Magnolia soulangeana ‘Sweet Simplicity’ (not patented) and the male or pollen parent Magnolia soulangeana ‘Black Tulip’ (not patented). The crossing was conducted in 1998. The cultivar ‘Cleopatra’ was selected by the inventor in 2003 as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in Waitara, New Zealand.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘Cleopatra’ by budding was first performed in 2004 in Waitara, New Zealand. Since that time, under careful observation, the unique characteristics of the new cultivar have been uniform, stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.